Lessons to Be Learned
by HAFanForever
Summary: Hey Arnold! was one cartoon where its episodes taught some important lessons about life, including from the special episodes, so I decided to write this essay to share what lessons I learned from it.


**Introduction**

Even when I watched _Hey Arnold!_ as a kid, I noticed that some of the double-length episodes, especially holiday-themed ones, centered on something important and taught a valuable lesson about the holiday. I will talk about the ones that stand out that way the most to me, and even throw in some of my personal thoughts and trivial facts about the nature of the episode and holiday. But this essay will not include "Helga on the Couch," "Married," or "The Journal" since I have already talked about those a great deal in my previous essay and the former was especially discussed most in its own essay. I will not dive in too much about "Arnold's Christmas" for the same reason.

So enjoy this essay and provide some feedback on your opinions on these episodes and my additional comments at the very end.

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"**Arnold's Christmas"**

I said in my previous essay that this is one of my favorite episodes because it really dives into the human heart and spirit of Christmas instead of bringing up the subject of the existence of Santa Claus. Most people, especially young children, might think that Christmas is all about getting presents and spending a lot of money, and this is what Helga thinks in the beginning. But Christmas is a time for giving and spending time with family. The exchanging of gifts is done by showing other people that you care about them and giving and receiving gifts is done to make others happy, as Christmas is a happy time of year. When you give someone a gift, it should be unique to show how much you care. Because he's mature for his age, it's no surprise that Arnold knows the true meaning of Christmas. In the end, Helga learns its true meaning when she gives up her pair of Nancy Spumoni signature snow boots and secretly helps Arnold find Mr. Hyunh's daughter and reunite them for Christmas. I especially love the end of the episode, where Helga is standing outside the boarding house and watches everything that happens inside, then silently wishes Arnold a Merry Christmas.

"**Arnold's Valentine"**

Arnold's current crush is Ruth McDougal and on Valentine's Day, he sends her a Valentine to finally make an effort to talk to her. When they do get a chance to converse, however, he discovers how shallow and stuck-up she is, and his crush on her comes to an end. But at the same time, he makes a date with Helga (at a restaurant across the street from where he meets Ruth) while she is secretly disguised as his French pen pal, Cecile. During their date, Helga is actually being her real self in front of Arnold for the very first time. While he is disappointed to learn that Ruth is not the girl he thought she was, he and Helga-as-Cecile form an attraction towards each other. Towards the end of the evening, the real Cecile shows up to surprise Arnold, and even when he realizes the girl he was hanging out with is an impostor, Arnold is still captivated by her. Arnold is disheartened that he may never see this mystery girl again, who doesn't reveal her true identity, but he still had a wonderful time with her. He is blissfully unaware that he has actually fallen in love with Helga.

I like this episode because it is important for the series, as it was the first one that pretty much said, "Yes, Arnold and Helga are meant for each other." Arnold fell in love with Helga (even while in disguise) in this episode, which means that he could fall in love with her, very likely, if she shed her bullying attitude and was more of her true self with him. It helps to show others that appearances can be deceiving and that what you see isn't always what you get. True love is based on a person's inner nature, far more important than external appearances. This is referenced during Arnold and Helga's date, when she tells him that "the most beautiful gift can come in the plainest box" (which is what Ms. Slovak told her earlier). Arnold was attracted to Ruth for her good looks, but discovered her true inner nature was very shallow, nothing like he expected. While he did have other crushes beyond this episode, especially Lila, they still never developed into anything bigger. This episode and "Arnold Visits Arnie" can especially tell viewers that the girl Arnold is looking for, the only one, true girl for him, is the one he'd never expect: Helga!

• Before they leave, Arnold tells Helga, "We'll always have Chez Paris." This is a spoof on the famous line in the 1942 film _Casablanca_, when Rick says to Ilsa before she leaves him: "We'll always have Paris."  
• Arnold actually keeps one of Helga's shoes in the end when they part ways and go home. This is very much of a _Cinderella_ reference, and if Helga ever does want to tell Arnold that she was this Cecile, all she has to do is show him the other shoe.

"**Arnold's Thanksgiving"**

Arnold and Helga both have rotten Thanksgiving holidays: Arnold's grandmother thinks it's the Fourth of July, so his family ends up celebrating that, all the while he's never had a real Thanksgiving, while Helga is overshadowed by Olga, who forces Helga to help her fix dinner while Bob just watches TV all day and Miriam overcooks the food. The two kids end up meeting at the city pier and tell the other about how bad their holiday is going. They decide to visit Mr. Simmons, believing he would be having the best Thanksgiving after he wrote about it for their thanksgiving play. When they get there, they discover his isn't going so well, either. This helps Helga and Arnold to realize that their traditions aren't so bad after all. Arnold walks Helga home, just as her family bands together to go out and find her after they discover she left the house. They tell her that they are thankful to have her in their lives and they sit down for dinner together, and Miriam even places Helga's pinecone in the center of the table instead of Olga's sculptured turkey. Then Arnold goes home, and his family surprises him with a turkey thanksgiving meal instead of a Fourth of July barbecue. But they decide to still celebrate with fireworks!

This episode can really show audiences that Thanksgiving truly is a time to be thankful for what you have, even if things don't always go so perfectly: Mr. Simmons admits to Arnold and Helga that he has far from a perfect family and friends, but he loves them and wants to be with them at Thanksgiving anyway. But it is often considered another favorite because it shows how Helga and Arnold can really relate to each other, more so than their classmates or the adults around them. It is also one of the few times when Helga sheds her bullying ways, showing that she and Arnold get along very well and bond. I didn't rank it in my favorites, but I enjoy this episode for that very reason.

• One of the characters in the last act of the play was named "Robert," and since it was based on one of Mr. Simmons's Thanksgiving dinners and all of the other characters' names matched the real names of his family members and friends, it's very likely that Robert is Mr. Simmons's first name.  
• When Arnold looks at Helga and her family through her window and wished her a Happy Thanksgiving from outside, it's very similar to the end scene of "Arnold's Christmas," when Helga stands outside the boarding house and wishes Arnold a Merry Christmas.

"**April Fool's Day"**

Arnold becomes sick of Helga playing pranks on him all throughout school on April Fool's Day, so he decides to get back at her by giving her a "gift" that temporarily blinds her. Though she recovers fast, she pretends to be blind for a longer amount of time to pull him into "the greatest April Fool's prank is history." At their school dance, Gerald discovers the truth, so he and Arnold work together to get back at Helga again. While Arnold dances with Helga, Gerald opens up the pool located underneath the school dance floor and Arnold successfully throws her in. but when he offers his hand to pull her out, she pulls him in with her, getting him again.

Fans could probably compare this to "Beaned" because in both episodes, Helga pretends to be in trouble to spend time with Arnold. However, in "April Fool's Day," she does it as an act of revenge and wants to make him feel guilty about his actions. During the episode, she acts out of character since she also doesn't recite any monologues and has no remorse for pranking Arnold unlike other times. Arnold also acts out of character since he decides to get back at Helga, even though he initially said that playing pranks isn't his thing, and acts very aggressive when dancing with her, obviously because he is mad and annoyed at her for faking and using him all this time. To me, there are no real important life lessons to learn from this episode, but it shows that April Fool's Day truly is the mother lode of all days for pranksters like Helga to be at their worst and bring out their more vicious side and victims of pranks like Arnold will fight back if necessary.

• Unlike other holiday episodes in the series, this one actually aired on April Fool's Day, 2002.  
• There has been an April Fool's Day superstition that says, "one fooled by a pretty girl will later marry, or at least become friends, with her." While we know that Arnold and Helga are meant to be together and will end up married to each other, this superstition does not necessarily foreshadow it, but I think it's a little fun bonus in regards to their relationship.  
• This and "The Journal" were the last episodes produced and the only ones to be set after the movie. To me, this makes sense, not only because the animation in these episodes is slightly different, but because they feature a change in Arnold's voice (again!). He was voiced by Spencer Klein in the film (marking the last time we hear Arnold's third voice), then he was voiced by Alex Linz in these two episodes (this was the first episode to feature his voice).  
• This episode is the first one to take place after _Hey Arnold! The Movie_, so Arnold knows about Helga's crush on him, but they're pretending that it never happened. It is also very memorable for the scene in which Arnold and Helga dance the tango, and their peculiar manner in dancing may be explained because of the current status of their relationship. Helga's joyous thought in Arnold remembering her birthday can also hint that this took place after the FTi incident since she has not received an answer from him on his feelings, and she believes that he is starting to take action.  
• This is the only episode not to feature Sam Gifaldi as the voice of Sid. In this episode, he was voiced by Sam's younger brother, Taylor.  
• Although the specific day is not mentioned, Arnold tricks Helga into taking the "gift" that blinds her by saying he remembered her birthday the previous week, revealing that she is an Aries. Her exact birthdate was never confirmed, but Craig Bartlett said that it was "maybe Franny's birthday," and Francesca Marie Smith's birthday is March 26, so that might be how Helga's possible birthday was chosen.  
• Right after Arnold and Helga are almost hit in the street, they land in front of a store called "Hillwood City Hats," which is another building in their city that hints that its name is Hillwood.  
• This episode shows that the gym floor can be opened up to get access to the pool. The very same thing happens during a dance scene in _It's a Wonderful Life_.

"**Parents Day"**

Arnold's teacher, Mr. Simmons, announces to the class about the upcoming "Parents Day" tournament in the upcoming weekend. Arnold feels left out and sad since he lives with his grandparents and everyone else he knows has parents. During one of the competitions in the tournament, Bob insults Arnold by calling him an "orphan boy." Feeling even sadder and lonely, Arnold decides not to go back to the remainder of the tournament. That night, he asks Phil to tell him not another bedtime story about his parents, but the real story about them. So Phil tells Arnold about who his parents were and how they met, and that when Arnold was still a baby, they took off on their plane and suddenly disappeared, never to be heard from again. Later that night, Arnold dreams about his real parents and the day they suddenly disappeared. The next morning, Arnold feels better and decides he wants to go back to the tournament. The three of them have fun together and Phil ends up beating Bob in the last competition. That night, Arnold has another dream in which he takes off in a plane, hoping that there is a chance that his parents are alive and that he will find them one day.

I didn't name it among my top favorites like I did with "The Journal," but I really like "Parents Day" as well because we learn the truth on who Arnold's parents are and why they are not in his life. This is another fan favorite and has been named by much of the cast and crew members, including Bartlett, as one of their favorite episodes. What I love about this episode is that it shows us that, while Arnold is a sweet and kind boy who enjoys helping people, he does have his ups and downs, and the grief he has in missing his parents, while his classmates have fun with their parents at the tournament, shows that you, as a fan, can relate to him, and see that he really is a normal kid just like any other (despite his head!). My YouTube friend funnybones021 actually said what makes this episode memorable is that it sums up an important life lesson: "you don't always get a classic 'happy ending.' But you do get hope, and that's what makes you want to see more." I think that's very true with this episode and "The Journal," despite the cliffhanger. Both of them give a glimmer of hope that Arnold is right about them and that he would find them in TJM, and I think we fans have to remember that and think positive that it would happen that way had the film been made.

• Even though this episode aired during the fourth season, it was produced during the third season, which is Arnold is voiced by Phillip Van Dyke instead of Spencer Klein. It is possible that this episode was held over because when Nickelodeon decided to have the planned _Hey Arnold!_ movie focus on Arnold's parents, they wanted to make this episode the "lead-in" to the second movie, much like the _Rugrats_ episode "Family Tree" (the one where Didi finds out she's pregnant) was first shown days before _The Rugrats Movie_ premiered.  
• Big Bob calls Arnold an "orphan boy." According to legal definition, a child may be considered an orphan because of the death or disappearance of, abandonment or desertion by, or separation or loss from, both parents.  
• In this episode and "The Journal," baby Arnold wears a light blue shirt and diaper, also worn by Tommy in _Rugrats_.  
• Both this episode and "The Journal" seem to feature an aviation theme, probably because Arnold's parents are pilots. Arnold even has an interest in planes as a baby, having been given one on his birthday, and he even holds it when he says goodbye to his parents. Even "Arnold's Hat," where his parents make their first yet brief appearance, shows him trying to build a kite for the first time.  
• The music in the last dream scene is the same melody as "Look Up" from "The List."  
• Mr. Simmons says that Arnold and Helga's families were the first to compete in the last event, but that means they were the only ones to compete in it, so how did Phoebe's family win?  
• Instead of the usual ending theme, Jim Lang wrote a more emotional piece for the credits.  
• This episode paid a special thanks to "Our Parents."

**Conclusion**

A lot of other episodes, really too many for me to name, also demonstrated a lot of other important values in life:

• You should learn to be more positive in a situation and not get overly anxious or upset because it doesn't help to mope over something. If you just stay fixed on what goes wrong, you could miss out on a lot of good stuff that may come your way. If you have faith and believe you can do something, you will be able to do it.  
• Doing the right thing is always important as well, though it is sometimes difficult to decide what is right in certain situations, and there are times when you have to follow the rules and even break them in order to do that.  
• You should be considerate of others, treating them the way you would want to be treated, and put other peoples' needs first, especially the ones you love.  
• It's best to face your problems and stand up for yourself when you're in trouble. Running away from your problems and/or ignoring them just doesn't help, even if it's the easy way out. Most people would prefer the easy way, but that makes them seem like quitters, so it's better to stick to something, even when it's not easy, because things are likely to turn out better later.

So this wraps up all I wanted to say about how _Hey Arnold!_ has important messages and lessons to teach viewers from some of the special episodes. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it, and, of course, have a good day!


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